Okay, while the national effort shell isn't exactly a great thing, you know what's interesting?
Surprisingly, our researchers note that when the charms overlap the volume of the anti-magic field is preserved. Having multiple charms in the same area negates magic in a larger area, although continuing to add charms has diminishing returns with respect to range.
That's a bonus to anti-magic charm range revisions/designs right there. So it isn't a total loss. Just an almost total loss.
Also on the not-as-dark side, if we ever want to do try again we'll definitely have a bonus, but it would most certainly have to be a design. We should definitely try this again later. But for now we need to at least focus on "stop losing"
Personally, I think:
1.) We can afford to lose in the jungle this round if we gain in another.
2.) If we lose this round, we need to
win next combat phase which is not a bet I'm willing to make.
3.) With the right revision, we can likely hold our ground in the jungle, buying time.
4.) In the seas we need to start winning as soon as possible since they're getting advantages from it and we're getting disadvantages.
Therefore, we need to make a revision that'll help in both theaters.
Just... not cheaper frost towers. We need something actually useful. Actually, I'm just going to do:
Revision: Standardized HC1-E Manufacturing(This doesn't change the name of the HC1-E)
Our mathemagicians have decided that instead of making costly calculations, mistakes, and other time-consuming actions every single time a HC1-E is produced, we can standardize the process. Tools of a standardized measurement are distributed to the workers making the cannons, allowing them to quickly judge what needs to be done. Tools are developed that expedite many processes in making the cannon and compress lots of individual actions into one use of the tool. We've also started training more workers but with less training each to work on the cannons. Instead of a single skilled craftsmen, a cannon will have three or more workers at a time working on individual aspects. Training three workers in three parts is easier than fully training one worker in the whole process.
The result is that we'll be able to manufacture HC1-E's at a
much higher rate.
The SO1-AM was designed to let us hold the ground or maybe even start advancing in the jungle while giving us with a smaller but still very nice boost at sea that could be capitalized on by a steam engine revision. But now we probably need to focus on something that's going to help both at sea and land. Hence the cheaper cannons - they'll help a lot in the jungle and at sea.
I know this would possibly be made obsolete from a new cannon design, but:
1.) Making HC1-E's cheaper would likely give a bonus to the Expense roll for a new cannon
2.) If we don't have the SO1-AM, then we need a cheap cannon now.
3.) We don't necessarily have to design a cannon next turn. (I for one am leaving my decision on what to design next round based on what happens this combat phase. For some reason, I didn't account "RNG still hates us" in my plans.)
I'm without a doubt going to be trying for the SO1-AM again soon-ish, as it'll have a significant boost to designing considering the good ol' "learning from your failures". Though I doubt it's going to pass since people almost definitely are going to associate the bad rolls version with the design itself.
Revisions :
1 - Standardized HC1-E Manufacturing (Cheaper HC1-E's): Chiefwaffles
1 - (Andres)Cheaper Frost Towers: Andres
0 - (Roboson)Reverse fireball:
1 - (10ebbor10)Magic Condensor : 10ebbor10
0 - (RAM)Summon water:
0 - (RAM)Dogwizard Staves:
0 - (RAM)College of mathemagical manipulation, methods, and misuse:
Orders :
2 - Operation Exhaustion : 10ebbor10, Chiefwaffles
Also RAM I'm not a huge fan of putting the design authors next to the design name. It crowds it up, and feels irrelevant - people should be caring about the design and not the person who proposed it.